National Bank 'Phishing' Victim

The National Bank of Blacksburg appears to be the target of what is commonly called a "phishing expedition," in the world of bank fraud.

Officials at National Bank, which has 25 offices throughout Southwest Virginia, say they have been the target of several phishing attacks: fraudulent e-mails and text messages using the bank’s name, logo and website are being sent to area residents.

The messages are asking for confidential customer information and James G. Rakes, National Bank’s chairman, president & CEO, says, “National Bank does not solicit or provide customer information by e-mail, phone or text message, except in direct response to a bona fide customer request. We encourage any of our customers who may have responded to these fake messages to contact the bank immediately.”

Rakes says, “The bank’s own computer system has not been compromised. Cyber criminals obtain personal e-mail addresses and cell phone numbers from a variety of legal and illegal sources and are skilled in creating sites that appear to be authentic in an attempt to try to trick people into providing confidential information. We are working diligently with our technology security consultants to respond to these phishing attacks. However, the best defense against them is customer education.”